Smoothbore accuracy?

[mike992]

Hi I'm new to muzzleloading and am curios as to what kind of accuracy can you expect out of a smoothbore rather than a rifle?

 

[flintlock75]

Smoothbores can be very accurate within there range limits, It all depends on the gun and the shooter. My smooth bore trade gun will shoot 1 hole groups at 25 yards, at 50 yards it will keep its shots in a 6" group. this gun has a short barrel(24"). My Brown Bess has a front and rear site and will keep all shots on a pie plate at 50 yards. Most smoothbores will give hunting quality accuracy out to 50 yards. I have shot competition with the Brown Bess out to 100 yards, using the 200yard target, I put 3 of 5 shots in the scoring rings with the other 2 on the paper. I have not shot big game over 50 yards with any of my smoothbores. They can be accurate, you will need to work up a good load to find the best combo.
In my Trade gun i use a .600 RB w/ .010th Patch and 70 grs of 3F. In the Bess I shoot a .705 RB and a .020th patch and 80 grs of 3F. I hope this info helps you.

 

[tg]

As mentiones it depends on the gun and the shooter
I have been able to get 3-4" groups at 50 yds with any of the smootjhbore I have had with no rear sigh a bit closer with the rear sight the pic is the first 5 shots at 45 yds out af a new Fusil I built a couple of years ago .58 bore no rear sight, light patch and ball(.562) combo that would thumb start and go down easily with a wood rod, shot from leaning against the canopy of my truck, the groups are now tighter after playing with some load combos guns shoots well with a .550 or .535 ball as bore fouls.

 

[29caliber]

My 20 gauge fusil was a frustration until I discovered that it preferred a wad, either felt or fiber, between the powder and patched roundball. It also liked 3F over 2F. When I made these two changes, it shot one-hole groups off a rest at 30 yards. I've taken two deer with it, one at 20 yards and the other at 60 yards, hitting them both where the front sight pointed. Both dropped in their tracks using either a .595 or .600 ball. My fusil has been very forgiving regarding changes as long as I used a wad and 3F. Tom

 

[roundball]

My GM .62cal Flint smoothbore barrel with adjustable rear sight (really a 'smooth rifle' barrel) shoots like a rifle to the 50yds I tested/zeroed it...

 

[pepperbelly]

How is accuracy with a musket that has no sights?

Jim

 

[slowpokebr549]

Half the trick is learning to hold it and sight over it the same every time.

 

[Wes/Tex]

Hi I'm new to muzzleloading and am curios as to what kind of accuracy can you expect out of a smoothbore rather than a rifle?

And just before you pull some hair out, pour in a handfull of 'blue whistlers' and give'em hell!

 

[jdstrang]

I shoot an unsighted Armi Sport 1842 Springfield repop, .69 cal., using Lyman 678 roundballs patched with aluminum foil and lubed with beeswax/Crisco over 80 grains of 2f. My best groups last summer were a five-shot, 1 1/2-inch ragged hole at 25 yards (score 48/50), and a 10-shot, four-inch spread at 50 (91/100). And neither of those was good enough to take first place in the respective competitions!!

Which is to say, find out what they like to digest, feed it to 'em, and they will astound you with their accuracy. :shocked2:

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

I'm very pleased with my '42's accuracy too. But mine has a front sight and that helps me a lot.

 

[Sherlock]

Those were great replies to a new shooter. Will someone give that fellow some idea of practical sighting off your tang screw or barrel so he can tell it's not magic or grey hairs. I shoot a smooth rifle in .62 so I have a bit of advantage, but creeping old age is reducing my effective range for offhand simply due to condition. The only thing I could add is that field shooting for game is a bit harder, regardless of sights. Wonky.

 

[jdstrang]

Will someone give that fellow some idea of practical sighting off your tang screw or barrel so he can tell it's not magic or grey hairs...

Well, sure -- but that wasn't what he asked about. His question was "what kind of accuracy can you expect out of a smoothbore rather than a rifle?"

Personally, I'm not sure it isn't magic. I call my smoothie my "Zen" gun, because shooting it consistently well requires letting the Star Wars "Force" take over your body and mindset. :hmm:

As another poster said, it involves bringing the gun into the same alignment, each time. But without a rear sight (and I mis-wrote earlier - like all '42's, mine also has that front sight teat for whatever good it does) one has to find a perfectly comfortable, natural position for shooting it, then determine where the ball goes when you fire in that position, then adapt your hold on the target (did someone mention Kentucky?) so that the ball goes where you want it to go.

When you've found the Nirvana position, make a mental note of where the bands, screws, etc., are, and that will help return to the position.

For me, the whole process results in a hold just off the black at 11 o'clock at both 25 and 50 yards. The ball acts a lot like a major-league slider, breaking down and right just a little -- right into the strike zone. :grin:

 

[pepperbelly]

Is shooting a smoothbore like shooting a shotgun, or a traditional bow then?

Jim

 

[Stumpkiller]

Yes. Pointed, not aimed. At least that's how I do it.

 

[Capt. Jas.]

A smoothebore IS a shotgun if using shot in it. When shooting flying, it is pointed without looking at the barrel or bead/blade. It is critical that the stock fit well enough to allow the eye behind the barrel to in effect become the rear sight and be placed in the same position every time the gun is mounted. To do this, one must have a decent fitting stock and know how to mount a shotgun.

If using a smoothebore for a "slug" gun (single projectile/ round ball) as most here seem to do, there is no reason not to "aim" at a stationary target just like you would do when shooting slugs out of a shotgun. If the barrel has no rear sight, the eye must again become the rear sight but head adjustment can be made every time the gun is mounted. Gun fit is not as critical when you can adjust you head and neck to "fit" the gun in the same position every time, somewhat like one does when shooting a rifle.

Most all shotgun barrels designed for slug specific shooting use front and rear sights. If round balls were all I were going to shoot except for maybe a few shot loads at sitting squirrels or rabbits, i would jsut put on a rear sight and be done with it.

 

[Sherlock]

What? No smoothbore R/B shooters using the top of the tang screw, or tip, or a place on the Octagon, or even a round part of the barrel breech as a consistent image in connection with the F/S? OH, OH, guess I just spilld the beans. Remember, regarding accuracy, a well managed smooth bore will shoot near as well as a rifled gun out to 50 yards. What do you think? Wonky

 

[Capt. Jas.]

What? No smoothbore R/B shooters using the top of the tang screw, or tip, or a place on the Octagon, or even a round part of the barrel breech as a consistent image in connection with the F/S? OH, OH, guess I just spilld the beans. Remember, regarding accuracy, a well managed smooth bore will shoot near as well as a rifled gun out to 50 yards. What do you think? Wonky

That's what I am referring to in my second paragraph above. Adjusting the head in reference to the front blade and using the tang screw, amount of barrel seen, etc. to make that reference.
If accuracy is the main concern, then a rear sight is the ticket. That's why there are rear sights on rifles as opposed to trying to use tang bolt heads as a makeshift.

 

[mike992]

So give or take a few yards were generally saying a smoothbore for hunting is a 50 yard weapon?

 

[Rebel]

With a rd ball, Yes, with shot No. With shot you will probably find 25-30 yds the max range unless you have a choked bore.

 

[Many Klatch]

OK, here are the gizmo's to help shoot a smooth bore.

1) Replace the tang screw with one with a MUCH bigger head. I take the tang screw out and find a matching screw or bolt in a hex head. I chuck the screw into a drill and using a file, turn the hex head into a real big rounded screw head. Then I use a hacksaw and a file to put a really big slot for the screw driver. When that bolt is put back into the tang it will stick up about 1/4" above the tang, if you align the screw slot with the barrel you now have a rear sight. As long as the top of the bolt is below the plane of the barrel, no one can claim that you have a rear sight on your gun.

2) This one is tricky. Debreach the gun. File a really deep V-notched slot in the center of the tang but don't go as deep as the threads. File a much shallower v notch in the center of the top flat of the barrel. When you reassemble the barrel, you will have a rear sight, built in to the barrel that is still below the plane of the barrel.

These work. I have both on all of my smoothbores. I find that just a slight twist of the tang screw sight will adjust my windage by an inch or two, so make sure it is straight.

Many Klatch